The son of a woman who died in hospital days after she fell at a Winnipeg care home and was transferred to another home is suing Extendicare, the operator of the facilities.
Hazel King began living at Extendicare Charleswood on Roblin Boulevard on July 7, 2023, when she was 92. Upon intake, she was reportedly assessed as being at an increased risk of falling.
A lawsuit filed by Bruce King in August on behalf of her estate alleges the resident fell while at the care home on Aug. 23, 2023, and suffered four fractured ribs and severe abrasions, among other injuries.
The court filing in Court of King’s Bench claims staff failed to summon medical care and didn’t inform King’s family about her wounds.
The lawsuit, which names Extendicare Canada and its subsidiaries and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority as defendants, alleges the care home took “no steps to address the injuries.”
“The care home defendants did not assess the injuries, refer Ms. King to a qualified professional to have the injuries assessed, or advise Ms. King’s family of the fall or the injuries,” the court filing claims.
On Aug. 24, the care home moved King to Extendicare Maples on Mandalay Drive without assessing her health or obtaining medical clearance, the lawsuit alleges.
Staff at the Maples care home conducted a preliminary assessment of King, the court papers say, and learned about the fall and found her injuries.
It took “a significant period of time” for the Maples staff to conduct a full assessment of the 92-year-old and determine she was in critical condition.
“Approximately three days after the full assessment, the care home defendants transferred Ms. King to the emergency room at Grace Hospital,” the court filing says. “Around the same time, Ms. King’s family received notice for the first time of the occurrence of the fall and the injuries.”
She was pronounced dead on Aug. 29. She had haemophilus influenzae pneumosepsis, which is an infection of the bloodstream, but the court papers say the material cause of her death was the fall and subsequent injuries.
The lawsuit alleges the care home defendants and the WRHA — which oversees care homes — breached their duty to ensure King’s well-being and safety.
Further, the suit accuses the WRHA of failing to conduct adequate inspections or assessments of the care homes and of failing to provide proper guidelines on how to respond to falls and injuries.
Neither defendant has responded to the allegations in court.
Extendicare did not return a request for comment.
Bruce King’s lawyer, Jordan Kreml, declined to comment on Wednesday.
Speaking generally, Sue Vovchuk, executive director of the Long Term and Continuing Association of Manitoba, said falls must be documented and reported under the province’s long-term care protocols.
In 2022, Extendicare entered an agreement with Revera to take over management of most of Revera’s long-term care homes in Manitoba, including Charleswood and Maples, as Revera moved out of the retirement home management business.
Extendicare’s management of its various Manitoba care homes took effect on Aug. 1, 2023, shortly after King is said to have been admitted to the Charleswood home.
Both Extendicare and Revera have been named in a number of Manitoba lawsuits in relation to the deaths of care home residents in recent years.
erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca
Erik Pindera is a reporter for the Free Press, mostly focusing on crime and justice. The born-and-bred Winnipegger attended Red River College Polytechnic, wrote for the community newspaper in Kenora, Ont. and reported on television and radio in Winnipeg before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Erik.
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